Final April Class 8 net orders dropped nearly 50% from 2024, ACT Research announced Wednesday.
At 8,200 units, the market was down 48% year over year.
“April orders were at levels not seen since the onset of the pandemic, when similar uncertainty reigned,” says Carter Vieth, research analyst at ACT Research. “In addition to self-inflicted economic stress, the first quarter of 2025 saw publicly traded truckload carriers’ net income margins fall to the lowest levels since the first quarter of 2010 — an ominous signal.”
April’s order drop was consistent across the market too. Vieth says tractor orders were down 51% year over year to 5,000 units and vocational orders were off by 44% to 3,200 units.
In the medium-duty space, business was only slightly better. Orders were off by 35% year over year to 12,800 units.
“Medium-duty orders have slowed across the past six months, as current bloated inventories and a weaker economic outlook weigh on new orders,” Vieth says.
